OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of risk factors for overweight among adolescents from three Brazilian cities, Pelotas, São Paulo and Goiânia. METHODS: The three datasets derived from case-control studies that investigated risk factors for overweight/obesity among adolescents from the three cities. Adolescents were classified as overweight when body mass index exceeded the 85th percentile of the National Center for Health Statistics. Multivariate analysis using a hierarchical logistic regression model was performed. RESULTS: A total of 903 postpubertal adolescents were studied (443 cases and 460 controls). The unadjusted analysis combining the 3 datasets improved the power of associations when males and females were addressed separately. Maternal education <8 years doubled the risk of overweight among girls; parents' obesity was a strong predictor of adolescents' overweight; watching television for >4 hours was significantly associated with females' overweight but not males'; consumption of visible fat from meat increased the risk of overweight among boys by 70% while the consumption of fried foods had a negative association with girls' body mass index. Finally, alcohol consumption was significantly and inversely associated with overweight among boys only. CONCLUSION: Postpubertal girls from families with lower educational levels should receive special attention when strategies to prevent and control overweight are planned and executed.
Adolescent; Analytic Epidemiology; Body mass índex; Overweight
